{"id":9313,"date":"2026-04-27T21:11:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.openvaluefoundation.org\/?p=9313"},"modified":"2026-04-27T21:11:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:11:51","slug":"blog-post-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/2026\/04\/27\/blog-post-66\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog post 66"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open Value Foundation: How has the cohort evolved from its inception to its closure?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mar\u00eda del Mar Garc\u00eda<\/strong> It's exciting to look back at our time having lived this wonderful experience. A process that begins from the moment you decide to apply to be part of Acumen, attracted by the values expressed in their manifesto and by being part of a global organisation that works to create a better, fairer, healthier, and more balanced world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me it all begins in the selection process, where we are invited to self-reflection and self-awareness,<\/strong> where our values, motivations and purpose emerge and \u201cthe magic begins\u201d. The first cohort we formed 24 diverse individuals, from different backgrounds, places, experiences, professions and viewpoints, united by the conviction that we are capable of taking action to create a better world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our first face-to-face meeting, the work begins! Titles, labels, stereotypes fall away and we start relating person to person, heart to heart, with admiration for who we are and for what unites us: a huge desire to contribute our best to our society, to nature, to the planet with more strength, with more tools, and something that is truly transcendental, to do it in community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are living in a time where the challenges before us are so great that it is truly important to work in groups, with interdependent relationships where each person puts their gifts, knowledge, skills and abilities at the service of their community and their team, a team of people dedicated to a purpose greater than improving their own lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this encounter, we returned home wrapped in a cloud of emotions, of joy, of gratitude for having met some exceptional and wonderful people, and with the certainty within us that we have arrived at a different programme, one that invites us to advance along new, unexplored paths in our lives, with the associated discomfort that novelty and the unknown can cause, yet still with the certainty of being on the right path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And a week later, they declared a state of alarm and the lockdown began, finding in our Cohort that \u201coasis\u201d where we could share our concerns, feelings, and actions taken in response to the unique situation our country and the world were going through. Undoubtedly, we all shared immense gratitude for having each other during these difficult times, and this filled us with hope and love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And from there over these months, We have learned many valuable \u2018adaptive leadership\u2019 tools that have helped us to look at the adversities we face from a new perspective<\/strong>. At the same time, it has been a learning experience that has allowed us to grow together, creating a safe space. Thanks to the programme and the people who facilitated and managed it, we have formed a team throughout the process, leaving behind those moments when we might have felt alone and even misunderstood, given our desire to improve the situation we are in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our cohort, from the beginning, we felt strongly identified with the concept of \u201cUbuntu\u201d I am because we are<\/strong>. We know that when something good happens to one, it nourishes us all; that which weakens one, weakens us all. This is a concept that logically doesn't just apply to the members of the first Acumen Cohort, but rather whatever happens to our planet and the population in general influences and affects us. We cannot ignore the suffering that millions of people are going through and the natural disasters, while also not ignoring the good news, the new projects and initiatives that are emerging, sowing seeds of change and transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arancha Mart\u00ednez:<\/strong> We have moved from a trust adopted from day one (but not real) to a sincere and real trust, generated after a year of enormous commitment to build a solid team, based on shared values and with love as the main driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start, each person came with their own rucksacks and individual expectations, and over the course of the year, we have gradually built a common project from affection, love, a sincere desire to transform the world by starting with ourselves, and effort; a project with shared expectations, and, above all, with much lighter rucksacks than at the beginning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel that we've been taking stones out of those rucksacks for each other<\/strong>. I imagine each one lightening the other's backpack with all the love in the world, with hugs and caresses. And I imagine sincere nudges, with the desire to see our sibling grow and bring out the best in them. I feel there are no longer any prejudices. That we have healed any we might have had throughout the year. I still feel there is a long way to go to strengthen bonds, but now from a completely different place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel that We are all one, that we all have our place and are necessary for others to grow. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OVF: What lessons learned<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mar\u00eda del Mar Garc\u00eda<\/strong> For each of us it has been a different adventure, but without a doubt for all of us it has been a transformative experience, which has impacted our lives in all aspects (both personally, professionally and familially) since when changes are profound, they influence our entire being and are reflected in our way of thinking, doing and expressing ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a feeling of being stronger, more capable, ultimately more powerful. Einstein says, \u201cWe are all ignorant, we just don't all know the same things\u201d and from this attitude of humility, accepting our mediocrity, an attentive and grateful listening awakens, to those who generously share their knowledge, experiences and lives, and with their contributions make us a little less ignorant. It is a privilege to be part of a cohort full of such intelligent, wise, mentally and emotionally rich, and at the same time generous people. Without doubt, this makes you feel very well accompanied on life's adventure. 

Arancha Mart\u00ednez:<\/strong> Professionally, super powerful tools for better understanding the problems, conflicts, and systems we work within and wish to transform. Tools to bring out the best in ourselves, our authenticity, to communicate from the heart and from our truth and purpose, while at the same time recognising our mediocrity and with the humility that we might be wrong. But from the strength and commitment that we always do it from a \u201cgood place\u201d because we do it from feeling, from the heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, we have taken 23 unconditional friends with us. 23 brothers with whom to continue growing as people, demanding of ourselves but at the same time accepting our mediocrity, our blunders, our audacity, even accepting ego. We take with us a beautiful commitment to stay together for life, embracing and pushing each other, and even more so, a commitment to transfer what we have learned to society, to push ourselves to contribute to a social moral revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you think it is necessary to work on the concept of Different Leadership, as seen in the programme, in such a polarised context as the one we are currently experiencing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arancha Mart\u00ednez:<\/strong> We are living through a social crisis, where distrust in our institutions and leaders has led us to oversimplify the complexity of our society, to constantly lean towards extremes, and to feel obliged to take sides as if life were black and white. More than ever, we need leaders who remind us of the beauty of the grey scale, and how each of us is essential in shaping this society and this world; how each of us has multiple identities, and how, by being transparent, vulnerable, and human, we are at the same time much more alike, united by the same values. We need moral leaders who bring out the best in everyone, who inspire and push us to be better, freer, and at the same time, to contribute to the common good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are living through an unprecedented social and environmental crisis, and it is time to act. We cannot wait. Even if we do so with serenity, love and respect, it is important to do it now, without delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mar\u00eda del Mar Garc\u00eda<\/strong> We are in a moment where moral creativity and imagination are required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you recommend the programme?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arancha Mart\u00ednez:<\/strong> Because it's the most disruptive and transformative programme I know. Because it's the most human and necessary programme. Because it invites us to question our society and ourselves, because it invites us to rethink the most human reasons why we do what we do, to re-evaluate what progress is and how we want to see our society. Because it's diverse and opens our eyes to a world of possibilities we didn't see. Because it's a gift, a journey inwards to then go outwards stronger, more determined, more convinced that changing society is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mar\u00eda del Mar<\/strong> Because it completely changes life for the better. Thank you, thank you, thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We know that in Spain there are many people committed to leaving the world a better place than they found it and working to make it so. Are you one of them? Do you know someone who is? Click. here<\/a> to learn more about the Acumen Fellows Programme.<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Open Value Foundation: \u00bfC\u00f3mo ha sido la evoluci\u00f3n de la Cohorte desde el inicio hasta el cierre? Mar\u00eda del Mar Garc\u00eda: Es emocionante mirar atr\u00e1s en el tiempo tras haber vivido esta maravillosa experiencia. Un proceso que se inicia desde el momento en el que decides aplicar para formar parte de Acumen, atra\u00eddos por los valores expresados […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-post"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9313"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9315,"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9313\/revisions\/9315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openvaluefoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}